CineTV Contest: Ready or Not || An Ultimate "I Do Or Die" Thriller

Imagine finding out, on your wedding night, that your husband’s family has a tradition of playing a game at midnight. As the bride, you get to choose the game. Pretty harmless, right? Now, imagine not knowing that the game you choose will decide whether you get to live or die, a classic case of I do or die.

Hello everyone, it is a pleasure to join another CineTV Contest and an even greater pleasure to have you here.

I'll like to review the movie, Ready or Not. The beginning started off slow and confusing, but not in a boring way—the kind of slow and confusion that makes you anticipate what comes next. It just keeps you intrigued because you want to find out what exactly is happening. It opens with a bride crying and pleading with her family to spare her newly wedded husband. But rather than listen to her plea, they drag the groom into a room and kill him. And then, the scene shifts to the present day.

The anticipation build-up was really great, and the first few scenes told a strong story. Ready or Not follows Grace (played by the brilliant Samara Weaving), a newlywed who just married the love of her life. By the way, his family isn’t just rich, they’re mega-rich. The old-money kind, with eerie traditions disguised as “family traditions” and a secret that turns their wedding night into a literal nightmare.

Instead of enjoying a regular honeymoon or post-wedding jitters, she gets roped into participating in a “harmless family tradition.” But unfortunately for her, she picks a game of hide-and-seek. And no, not the innocent one we played as kids—this one involves crossbows, axes, and guns. Her in-laws are trying to hunt her down and kill her. Yes, on her wedding night. Imagine thinking your biggest problem would be deciding whether to sleep or stay up all night with your husband, only to find out his family worships something that demands blood sacrifices.

Turns out, that was the exact same game the groom from the first scene picked, the one that had the —now mean-looking, bloodthirsty old— lady crying.

First off, my attention span is really short, so more often than not, I always find myself fast-forwarding boring scenes in movies. But for this movie, the pacing was incredibly good, I couldn’t afford to skip a single scene. I must mention that I absolutely love the cinematography. The angles, the pacing, the scenarios—everything was on point. One would expect the storytelling to be confined within the four walls of a house, but they even included scenes where the bride escaped and ran into town in search of help, although it was fruitless.

From start to finish, the movie never drags; it’s a full-blown, suspense-fueled adrenaline rush. I think one thing that kept me further hooked was the fact that even after finding out her in-laws were trying to kill her, Grace didn’t just start running and screaming for her life. Yes, she was purely shocked and tried hiding at first, but I’m glad they didn’t paint her as some weak girl who just screams, begs and cries. Instead, Grace fights for her life with a mix of terror, rage, and pure survival instinct. Especially that scene where she screams in pure rage, her body shaking violently as she points a knife at the entire family; oh man, I felt her emotions right there. I cannot even imagine being in her shoes. Goodness!

The thing is, she wasn’t just dodging weapons; she was outsmarting people who had been playing this twisted game for generations.

There were scenes where I crossed my fingers so hard that I didn’t even notice until I felt the numbness, all in hopes that she wouldn’t get caught. This movie pulled me into such an experience that I completely forgot it was just acting.

Now, let’s talk about the humor. Because somehow, despite all the blood and chaos, this movie is hilarious. It has that dark, sarcastic comedy that makes you laugh even when you know you shouldn’t.

Like when one of the family members, who has zero business handling a weapon keeps accidentally killing the wrong people. And let’s not even mention how my heart skipped a beat every time she fired a gunshot, hoping it wasn’t Grace she killed. The family had to take the gun from her and hand her a crossbow instead. The result? She instantly and accidentally kills another maid the moment the crossbow lands in her hands.

Now, the ending? I refuse to spoil it, but let me just say... when the final act unfolded, I actually screamed. The absurdity, the shock, the poetic justice? It was so satisfying.

Final Thoughts and rating
Overall, I absolutely love that this movie has balance. It isn’t just pure horror or gore, it blends suspense, action, and humor so well. Even the lighting, it wasn't the completely dark horror movie light set-up where you'd have to squint your eyes to watch. It’s the kind of movie you can still watch at night and sleep peacefully afterward. Although, I wouldn’t recommend watching it with little children. Their tiny hearts shouldn’t have to endure all that thrill.

My rating for this movie? A solid 7.5/10.

All images are from IMDB
Thank you for reading!

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